C Schomer wrote:
Just a thought and I use my 5er for an example... a Sunnybrook is as rugged as any of them and they are designed, knowing where all the weight loads are, so they put wood inside the aluminum members where those loads will be anchored. If I were to change those load points, I would lose the strength by anchoring things to nothing but the hollow aluminum square tubing. You might be heading for a big mess if you aren't really careful! A friend wanted to remove the elevator bed from the back end of his TH and the mfgr said... don't even think it - it's structural! It also sounds like you would end up with a heavier RV than the running gear was designed for. What about guesstimating the final GVW and starting with an appropriately rated gooseneck trailer to build on. You'd have a better finished product. Craig
Some good points. A guy would have to aware of how the frame is constructed to make sure any future installation could be supported. There are fasteners made specifically for metal framing but the tube has to be strong enough, initially.
FWIW, my scaled weight came within a few hundred lbs. of the rating after I was done. My rebuild wasn't typical because I removed and replaced the appliances, all of the cabinets, the bed frames, the dinette. I added in more robust framing, supports, cabinets, steel wheel wells, and even ceramic tile. I was lucky that the original construction used a large amount of fiberboard product. That stuff was heavy and helped to offset the installation weights. A guy will get an approximate weight in->out after hauling away the gutted material, lol. It is significant.
To the OP-Any luck on the hunt? Forgot to mention, there are a number of resellers around the country that buy from the insurance and finance companies. They sell everything from a burned to the ground frame to a serviceable RV. I was looking at some of the Class A damaged lineup and was able to back away before I got my backside in a wringer. The prices of replacement parts for the Class A rigs is just North of Defense Dept. vendors:B
